I am sitting on my Glasgow bedroom floor, drinking another cuppa and thinking how much life has changed, let’s say, from the last time I was able to discipline myself and actually write here. It’s a strange thing how sometimes the things we prioritise, can change without noticing it. That’s why I think I need to glue some do-to’s to my forehead, so I will never forget.

School is done for this year. Yes, I’ve been living and studying in Glasgow officially for one year and let me tell you- the time really flew by. That makes me always remember the saying, that: “start doing what you wanna do n o w, because the time will past anyway.” I really should remember it more, because the way how time flies is already a great cliche.

Life and the time what has been flying by though, has been beneficial. You know, sometimes you do something because it is out from a habit or just doing it automatically, but then something changes and starts making a new sense. It is not a tragic change, but everything will suddenly go into its place, you have a vision of something what wasn’t there before and so on.

I’ve always had an idea what I want, what I will become and how to pursue it and I still have. The thing was, that I had so many little side things, what I felt, makes me ME as much as the things, that already creates a plan to me. Do I make any sense right now? So my plan felt flawless, but it didn’t feel full, as many things that have made me who I am, were set aside. So that made me doubt some things, such as am I in a absolute right path.

What I’ve learned from my short period of life, is that everything will work out. I try to remind myself to worry less, because whatever worry I’ve ever had, it always have worked out. So was that one weekend in England, when I was bicycling in the countryside, surrounded by rapeseed fields and the sun was shining and everything felt calm, happy and good. Dreaming out loud is one of my favourite things, because you never know when someone can help you finish your dream or help you to create any sense out of it. So something from that day, helped me to put a “period” to my goals, dreams and wishes. It re-created it a little bit, but suddenly it started to feel full, not just flawless. One of these moments, when your vision of yourself for the next 10 years, and more, makes sense and you are able to see it so clearly, that you could almost touch it.

So for now, I am excited for my updated new chapter what I am living. Nothing hasn’t really changed, but some things have started to make more sense. And they are new and still need to be fitted into the old plan, but this is what makes me excited- the progress. Work in progress. I thrive of doing work what is beneficial for myself and earning things by not just getting them, makes me excited. All the sleepless hours, scheduled day plans and research how to get what I want, makes me excited. So. Very. Excited. It’s been a while since I felt that feeling and I am happy that I found it again. It really makes me me.

So the biggest add up to the plan is that I will give my passion for food and drink a try and I will make a plan how to fit it in to my social media life, that it will not make it messy or confuse the image, what has been created, because I still do believe that one should focus into one thing, not to be labelled as 5 different things. But I need to give it a try. That might make a new category to that little place here, or make a new one. But one thing I know- that makes me well excited. One of those things, that I can already see where it can grow and what it can become. Now it just needs to be fed with some work. And I am willing to do the work.

As important as it is to know what you wanna do and what to achieve in this busy life, when figuring out all the aspects of your present and future life, there is something I feel people don’t talk about too much and I haven’t talked about too much. One thing is the ‘work-hard, hustle and no pain no gain’ part, but where it all starts to develop as a way of living, is somewhere, when sitting alone with yourself and deciding what kind of person you are and who you wanna become. I feel, like we often forget how we are also ‘work in progress’ and when we don’t forget it, it’s easier to reach the goals, as we grow with our dreams. I think it’s healthy to look around and be influenced by people who inspire and move us.

I had a nice chat once with my psychologist about self-love, being grateful and learning to appreciate yourself. Developing the skill of being truly happy and in love with yourself, is way deeper and harder, than it sounds. I’ve always thought that I’ve had a pretty well developed skill of loving myself, but when I realised, that I’m having hard time of forgiving myself, that dug up several parts of the relationship I’m having with myself and gave me a new perspective of treating myself even better.

Knowing yourself and knowing who you wanna become created a beautiful ideas, what I like to follow in my daily life. It might me a healthy exercise to everyone to sit down with yourself and try to visualise yourself in 10-15 years. How do you wanna be remembered, when you leave the room? Or when you step in somewhere? I have few rules of life, what I’m putting into actions daily. I think it’s healthy to have some.

Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebodyThis is one of my #1 rules, as being nice and kind is so much harder than being rude. Being a shit with others is easy. Being nice and respectful takes way more courage. People can forget what you DID to them, but they never forget how you made them feel, as we are use to connect people with our emotions. Being nice, authentic and respectful makes you a better person to yourself and to others.

Do all with love as love will do all for youSpreading love gives you love back. Once when you will reach the level of ‘zen’ with yourself, you are more easily able to spread love around you. Put the same emotion everywhere what you do or what you touch. It is such a big game changer, because it gives you back the energy doubled twice. It doesn’t take much to smile, look people into the eye or holding their hand for a second or two. But it shows love and respect.

Never sleep on a fightDon’t walk away, close the door, hang up a phone or go to sleep when there is a fight still in the air. It doesn’t have to get fixed, but it need to get calmed down. We never know what life have for us next and I bet you don’t want that people will remember your bad words as the last ones. It’s just a healthy reminder that we have to stay close to our loved ones and not take anything for granted. Fights always happen and they can be healthy start for something new, but don’t walk away and leave it there. Learn to control yourself and remember, that do everything with love.

Don’t be good, be greatIt might be something what I just want from myself, but ‘being good’ is not good enough for me. If it matters to me, I wanna be great. I don’t wanna be just good. I wanna maximise everything what matters to me. I wanna be great at my work, I wanna be great at my relationships, I wanna be a great woman. And once the mindset becomes natural, the actions become natural of taking them. It’s not an egoistic act of pushing yourself to become something you are not, but being more. I wanna be the best of me for my families and friends. And the best of me for me. And if I can treat myself right, I can treat others around me right.

Listen and rememberThere is a real beauty of listening and actually hearing what people tell you. Most likely we are surrounded daily with people and we have several different connections with people around us. Often we have a chat but instead of listening, we get focused on what to say next. It’s a lesson to learn to stay calm, just to listen and remember what people say. Remember their names, listen their stories. Even if you think that you will never meet them again. And if you do, I promise you have a instant connection with somebody once you reach them out by saying their name. Make people matter. Listen, ask, hear, discuss and talk when it’s your time.

Things are not for grantedI make myself being grateful every day for things I have and also for things I am out for. Saying ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ have more power than we often think. I have a daily habit, what I trained myself few years ago, what was that every time after a workout, when I cool down and stretch, I think about things I am grateful today. Some days it’s just that I have fully functioning legs and arms to do, what I wanna do. Other days I am grateful of having these people around me who I have. Being and feeling loved. And as important it is to remind it to yourself, it is also important to say it to others.

Dream as big as you canDreaming is one hellofa healthy habit and depends on what vibe you will add to it, it can become something pretty and big what will help you deform yourself. See yourself in those magazines, make yourself feel the love you want to receive. Act already as if. Nobody can take dreaming away from you. And I have a strong belief of something what sounds like ‘what you can see it in your head, you can hold it in your hand’.

Just know that people will think whatever they wanna think, regardless what you do. So you better be and become a good one. There’s only one of you and the best what you can do, is grow yourself that good, that you will be happy with yourself. Only like that, others can be happy with you.

Life is pretty packed up right now. This morning I woke up 6am and realised that it’s all dark outside. Every year I feel it comes like a little shock. It was the first reality check, that winter is really coming. I think I haven't really register yet that the sunlight is fading away faster and faster and days will be short soon. Even shorter. Glasgow will get incredible cold and crispy but without the snow so all will be dark and cold. I don’t really mind the cold part. I like to be packed up and wearing my warm clothes. It makes me feel better. But I am not so sure about the darkness. It makes me always feel like bit more sleepier than I am. And without the snow it will be just wet. Snow is important when it’s winter. It balances the darkness what’s gone.

Yesterday I met a person who said that this time of the year is his favourite because of the colours. I looked around and it was all grey. Few yellow leafs still on the trees but the wind what’s been outside the few couple of days have done a good job when it comes to make the nature look more like winter. It’s not the colourful beautiful fall colours what we are talking about. It’s the last minutes before falling to sleep.

I spend most of my time in studio. I get here every morning around 9:30 and will leave… some time between seven and eight. It’s a routine and I like routines. Accomplishing daily tasks and pushing them more and more makes me feel powerful. I’m in a endless journey of pushing myself right now. Saying that everything is possible have never felt so real. Living in it is totally different feeling.

It’s Friday soon and I feel like a old person. Fridays and Saturdays are the only days when I feel old. Knowledge of Friday gives me anxiety because I feel that I need to do something. I need to go drinking and socialising. I need to do all the wild stuff what people do when it’s Friday. Get drunk, dance a lot in noisy places, lose themselves. None of them are what I like to do. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable of saying it out loud, as I feel judged. Probably I am the only one who truly judges myself of not liking it. I never have. I dislike the feel of being out of control. I dislike the feeling that I am not the maximum of my productivity next day. I dislike dancing like no tomorrow in noisy dark places and raising my voice when wanting to communicate. That makes me feel really not like 23, what I am.

I wrote long time ago to myself a sentence that: “Right now I work hard and after that I can party at parties what actually matter.”

Having a good time in my world is probably slightly different than for other 23 years old kids. Maybe I’m missing out something. Maybe I gain something. I like to believe I’m gaining. I’ll work now and party later. Magazine I used to work once had a interview with one of really amazing designer in Estonia, named Piret Puppart who said something what I remember and carry with and she said: “Work yourself irreplaceable.” This is exactly my plan right now.

Other than that, life is good. I hope i’m not really falling off of things what actually matter, such as relationships, friends and family. I’m reminding it to myself every now and then and I think by far I’m doing solid good. Soon is Christmas and I can go back to Iceland. Oh, how I miss this country. I wanna go to mountains and walk around my streets. Meet my people and have a well deserved vacation in a way.

9th of October was officially the day when I can say that I’ve been living in Scotland for one month now. What is crazy is the fact how the time flies! I literally feel like I’ve been here only for few weeks. I feel like I left Iceland just few days ago. Things are already old, but still somehow new. It’s a strange feeling. And at the same time the same feeling freaks me out. I’ve probably have set myself many goals and missions to achieve turning these 4 years and now when one month is over, I’m already freaking out as I feel like I haven’t done as much, as I wish I would. I’m working always the latest in the studio, but I wanna have more. I wanna do more. I wanna be more.

Isn’t it funny, how day after day you feel like nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different. 

This is what makes me feel calm every now and then. Makes me take a breath and slow down sometimes, when needed. I think all that matters in the end of every day is the feeling, how do you think you did today and what you can improve the next. As long as I can go to bed every night, feeling good that I didn’t waste some precious time, I am happy. The alarm goes on in my head only when I realise that I was a potato who didn’t do something.

I think I’ve never understood people who can say, that they are bored. How is it possible to feel bored? How can one young person be bored, doesn’t fit in my head. When you are bored, it means you have nothing to do. And having nothing to do is the worst feeling I can imagine. And don’t get me wrong here- I truly believe that these kind of moments are really important every now and then- just doing nothing. Taking your time. Meditating, connecting with yourself and all that kind of stuff, what every person does individually. But I mean the boredom what comes in the middle of the day, when people have time to write it in Twitter and things like that. How one can be bored? There is so much out here! Discover, explore, do that one “something” what you always wanted to do. Read that book, listen that album, go to run. Jeez, do something! Don’t waste your time!

Second thing what I’ve noticed when school started is that people seem to find a reason for some comforting whining about how tired and dead they are, when the things what they usually do is to go to school, do some school papers and maybe work. And I mean yes, it is a lot to carry but it’s all based on our own decisions and if it’s something what we want, we should embrace it instead of whining about it.

Sometimes we can’t change the situation but we can change how we act in it.

And this is totally up to us. Whining and complaining how tired we are, doesn’t lead us most of the time anywhere else than being more tired. Of course it probably depends on what are our goals and who we actually wanna be or become in the end of the day. If you are okay of being constantly tired, then I think you are moving in a right direction.

But other than that… Scotland has done some amazing job with me or I have. It is this beautiful feeling and understanding that I am exactly on a right place on a right time. If I always have felt that Iceland made me the the best version of me, then Scotland really does it too and even plays it up a little. But exactly for some amount of time. This period in my life is just for hard working, to get where I wanna be after few years. Being 28 is not that far away.

Those photographs I took 2 days ago, processed and scanned them yesterday. This is almost the only photographs I have right now. Soon I will invite you to my daily life with proper photographs.

It’s my birthday today. And if you happen to know me, you know that this day is ultimately my favourite day of entire year. I’m never translating my birthday as “another year when i’m getting older and dying sooner”. For me it’s a day of celebration. Celebration of my life, being happy of being alive. Another beautiful circle around the sun. I love it. It makes me happy and excited. Just like being 5 again.

I think I've changed a lot within last five years. At least this is where I can start tracking my own personal growth. I don't remember having too much clear goals and plans as I have now. They definitely existed, but I can't point on them. Turning this years, being surrounded by people who have similar mindsets and becoming more goal-orientated, I have few points to pick up, what have helped me turning these years. So I decided to collect 23 life lessons i’ve learned turning 23 years of being alive.

I think being in your 20's, you should be energised, full of life and try out many things what will grow you into something bigger and stronger. Being tired, sick, something hurts every now and then is something what we should (or not) keep to our 90s. Realising that we have our best body, sharp mind and everything what helps us to become whatever now, we should use it. Whining is for babies and nobody wants to be a big baby. There could be reasons but not excuses.

Do more. Be more. Work harder.

1. Say more "YES". - As simple as it it. In the end of the day, we always regret things what we didn't do way more than these what we did. So that's why you should get brave and say yes, even if you automatically don't feel like it at first. "Yes" can lead you to new lessons and experiences, when most of the times "No" takes them away from us.

2. Be brave and get confident.- So many times we say "no" or just don't try new things because we are being afraid. Afraid of not being enough or thinking that everyone else around us are better. When starting to say more "yes" you are building more confidence and you are getting braver of asking and going for things you actually want. Getting out of your own comfort zone is important and life changing.

3. Appreciate what you already have.- This might be by far one of the most important points. You will never get too far or know how to appreciate it fully, if you are not taking time or not being happy where & what you have now. Take a moment every day and think about something you are grateful today. Make it as a habit. Last thought before you fall asleep every night or before start eating your dinner. Taking a bus or a ride home. Understand how much good is going on around you and how you are surrounded by great people.

4. Live in the present, nor the future, or the past.- Be here now. Have a goal, but don't forget to enjoy the progress, as this is the time you learn the most. Have your focus on goal, but keep yourself in present.

5. Do something what scares you every day.- Great cliche, but it works. We all know the sentence, but very few of us actually practice it. But it has a great point behind this idea. I mean- it is not as easy to do every day all new stuff, but even getting a new habit and practicing it every day til it starts coming out naturally, will work. Try waking up early, having early runs, swimming or yoga. Ask a boy/girl out, tell a compliment, send your CV to a place you wish you could work. Challenge yourself and don't let fear talk you out of it.

6. Don't be afraid of failing.- Most likely... Very likely, you will not succeed at first time. You will have complications, unexpected things happening you weren't prepared of and many things will not fall into places as you were planned. You will fail, but keep standing up and fail again, if needed. Because this is the only way you can eventually succeed. Failing is only not an option, when it's not considered as a final result. In between- learn your lessons and grow stronger and bigger.

7. Stay in focus.- Choose one or maximum two things at the time to work on. Most likely you have more ideas in your mind, but choosing and prioritising few at the time, makes them easier, faster and more efficient to achieve. Pick few, accomplish them and then start working on new ones.

8. Enjoy the process.- Turning the time when you are working on things you wanna achieve, don’t forget staying in the present and enjoining what you are doing. Process is (obviously) a huge part of getting what you want so you better learn, analyse and improve it, as you can. You learn really valuable lessons turning that time and most likely, it will help you a lot, once you learn from it.

9. Stop chasing ultimate perfection.- You are not perfect, neither are they. Your work will never be just perfection and as long you are happy with it, it all that matters, because people who will not find it as same as you, will always come and go. And if you are stuck somewhere and the idea of perfection is on your way- just go over it. Learn the lesson and do it better next time. But making and doing something is always better than doing nothing. Finish the painting, finish the idea, do a short work out… Do it. But do better next time.

10. Communicate and trust others.- “If you wanna go fast, go alone. If you wanna go far, go together.” Share your ideas, thoughts, working progress with people you trust or love. Mirroring your thoughts with other people are super useful and helpful. And also if you need help and others are willing to help you, take it. Sharing your journey with others are extremely valuable. And you learn a lot. And most likely save also some time.

11. Don’t be afraid.- Start hating the feeling of being afraid and then start fixing it. Stop being afraid and get comfortable with it instead. Understand why are you afraid of them and then start doing them repeatedly. Being afraid is a so much more uncomfortable feeling than being comfortable of being afraid. It’s a big difference.

12. Try again.- Easy as it is. You fail? Suck at first time? You feel embarrassed and wanna leave it? Nop. Stand up and try again. Try and fail as many times you need til you succeed. Not trying again is quitting and this is not acceptable.

13. Schedule and plan ahead.- Don’t go extreme crazy with it, but time management and knowing ahead what needs to be done helps enormously to do more. Have a planner, build yourself a system. Understanding your hours a day makes you actually see how much time you might still have in your hands.

14. Take time off.- Don’t forget to give yourself some time off. You are not a robot, doesn’t matter how nice this might sound sometimes. Enjoy that dinner with friends, sleep one hour longer once in a while, meet somebody for a drinks. And bigger picture- book that tickets, have a vacation. Life is too short.

15. Get off of your comfort zone.- This is the scariest, most dangerous place to be. Things that are in your comfort zone weren’t most likely there once. But they became one just because you did it and got comfortable with it. Stop wasting your time of being afraid and sitting in your circle. Nothing new and good doesn’t happen there. Life gets exciting where comfort zone ends.

16. Eliminate people who doesn’t support you.- There is no space for haters. You don’t need other people doubts more than once to start doing what you need to do. Take their doubts once as a impulse to start doing it and then don’t involve them in anymore. It just pushes you down over and over again. And sometimes they are the closest people to you and yes, it sucks. Don’t involve them in anymore what you are doing if you know their negative thoughts about it. Talk about weather, the food they ate or listen their stories.

17. There is no such thing as “type”. - Nobody is born, for example, to be a “night or a morning” person. You are a person and you choose what you are. Nobody labels you and there is no certain type how you born and will be the rest of your life. You don’t like something- change it.

18. Don’t judge people how they look.- You can be right. And you can be terrible wrong. Let people talk and explain, judge later. But there is things people can’t change- their skin, their face, their body.

19. Ask.- There is nothing wrong of asking help from others if it’s needed. And sometimes it’s maybe necessarily needed as a final result, but the journey there will be more valuable. Ask. The worst what can happen is that they say “no” and if you don’t ask, it’s no anyway. At least you give it a try and you have 50/50 change of getting what you want.

20. Don’t take yourself too seriously.- Be serious what you are doing, but don’t take yourself too seriously because of it. You miss so much fun otherwise. Life is, once again, way too short for being too serious about "things”.

21. Learn to sorry.- People make mistakes. You make mistakes. Learn to say sorry if you understand your mistake. There is no worth of staying “right” when you understand your mistake. Being sorry when it’s the right time and place, makes you more authentic and humane. Not doing it, makes you a dick and nobody wants to be a friend with one.

22. Be friendly with e v e r y o n e.- This is a valuable lesson from my Icelandic family. Being friendly with everyone doesn’t mean of being friends with everyone, but being a nice person to others makes you a better person 100 times more. People most of the time don’t remember what you did or gave to them, but they always remember how you made them feel. And people remember if you make them feel good. And apparently being friendly with others brings that result. And being good with others is so much harder than being mean. It’s easy to be mean and dislike others. Being friendly and nice takes so much more time and effort.

23. Love. - And as important everything else is, love is the only thing what actually matters. You can’t start and/or finish anything well, without loving it. Love is the first impulse of everything you want to do. And loving others and receiving love is the best feeling in the entire world. Don’t take it away from yourself, thinking that “you are too busy”. Love your people, spend your time with them. Prioritise. Stay close. Love.

I am so grateful for today. I am most grateful for my mom of taking and making the effort today 23 years ago. I am thankful for every each one of you who wish me the best, who have followed my journey and inspire me doing what i’m doing. I am forever thankful and grateful for my life and people who surround me. Today is not just “another day of getting older”. It’s a celebration. Thank you everybody for the support what you have gave me and the lessons I’ve learnt because of you.

I believe into hard working. I believe into doing more and understanding time, what is really important factor. I think too many people still around us underestimate it, as it seems to be something, what will always come back tomorrow. And I understand it, because I remember myself thinking and acting the same. But what I don’t understand is the wait what comes to changing it, once you understand it.

There is a sentence what I once heard or read somewhere and it sounded something like that:

“Notice, when you feel good. After that remember it and keep repeating it.”

I think it’s a pretty clever advice, because this has lead me into everything I ever done or what I want to do. This is when I found photography at the age of 14. This is what made me travel at the age of 18 and made me move to another country when I turned 19. Also when I realised that I feel the best when I have loads to do and I can keep myself busy. Realising that the more I do, the better I feel. So understanding what works and what doesn’t just by noticing how do you feel when doing different and new stuff, can lead you exactly where you supposed to be.

Maybe I’ve set myself too many goals and achievements to achieve, but that makes me feel good. Within past couple of years, when I’ve been really realising who I am, and most importantly, who I wanna become, has made me understand many new things in life, what I maybe haven’t thought about it before as much.

As much as we have been working on our career goals, it’s important to stay close to everything what matters actually. A life without being shared is not worth it. Surround yourself with people who bring the best out of you and with who you can share what you already have accomplished and talk about everything what still waits ahead. Remember to love and stay close. It takes practice and sometimes it all doesn’t come out exactly how it is planned, but as with everything- fail once, but try again. I keep failing tragically even now, but I try again.

More importantly take care of your mental and physical health. I think way too many young people forget either one of it, as they go into extreme or see only idealism as a final result. You don’t have to have a strong abs or instagram-babe ass. But you most definitely should get your heart rate up with giving it to some jogging, swimming, walks or hikes. Understanding that our body will age before our mind will, is important to stay in shape. And understanding that treating this body what is fully health and full of energy before it starts to struggle, with a care and with love, gives you a healthier and stronger body for a longer time. Don’t go to run only because you wanna burn those brownie calories you ate. Go because you love your body and you wanna get that blood pumping inside your veins.

I talked about running with my sister recently and we both agreed how many people don’t understand the magic what happens when you “shut down” either your mind or body and start working only with one. Most of the time, my best ideas, plans or goals get "written down” when i’m running or swimming. I just “leave” my body run when I start focusing to things what needs to be solved. I did it every time when I got stuck with my portfolio, when I didn’t know how and what schools to apply and so on. I’ve figured out all my biggest decisions and problems, when i’ve shut off my body, leaving it to do some kind of movement. I think setting your mind in a different mindset, opens up a different way of seeing the world and understanding it. Just live healthy. Stay balanced.

…and once you figure it all out, keep repeating it. We are what we repeatedly do. And most of this stuff are really easy to do over and over again. And don´t let it fool you, just because it´s so easy to do, it´s also super easy NOT to do. So if you think you will skip the run, sleep one hour longer, skip the lecture, skip the working hour- you are already falling out of the pattern. Keep repeating. Keep doing what you do. It´s easy to do. And keep it that way. Don´t think how easy it is not to do one day. You will become whatever you repeat. So keep repeating the things you wanna become. They take time and patience and you have to be there, when they starting to bloom, because you are the only one who can make them bloom.

So this is how I roll. I know what makes me happy, I know what and who I wanna become today and where I wanna belong. I fail. But I keep going and doing. “No” is not the answer what defines me or my journey. I still keep learning and I learn so much more from my failures. Things what will be different. But have a goal as a final destination. Your route and plan can change, but not the goal. Most definitely you will gain new traits and experiences turning your journey to your goal and sometimes it makes it easier, sometimes harder. But learn your lessons and keep doing. …at least this is what I do and what I only wanna do. Become who I am. And if sometimes I lose my track, I will think as this person who I wanna become, and I will fall back in track again.

Life is a wonderful journey. Plan it. Take actions. Don´t waste time. Exercise. Make yourself the strongest and biggest you can. Be somebody who your family, kids and friends would be proud of. Become who you wanna be. Become somebody you are proud of.